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Extracted from
'The Buchan Observer - Tuesday 24th March, 1942'
THE FIRST IN SCOTLAND
FOR 104 YEARS
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has awarded its
gold medal - the V.C. of the lifeboat service - to Coxswain John B.
McLean of its lifeboat station at Peterhead, for rescuing the crews of 3
steamers in a gale with gusts of winds at 105 miles an hour, heavy seas
and blinding snow. The lifeboat went out four times in 75 hours.
This is the first gold medal to be awarded by the Institution in
Scotland for 104 Years.
The Institution has also awarded its silver medal to the motor mechanic,
David Wiseman, and bronze medals to A. Hepburn acting second coxswain;
W. Strachan, acting bowman; W Summers, assistant motor mechanic, and A.
Gowans, Alexander Strachan and A. Cordiner, lifeboatmen. It has
awarded its thanks on vellum to A. Davidson who went out on one of the
four services as acting bowman; and has made money awards to the crew
and launchers of the station mounting to £81 6/-.
The first launch was made early one Friday morning to help a steamer
which has been in collision eight miles away. Two hours after launching
the lifeboat found the steamer and escorted her into Peterhead Bay. Two
other steamers followed. In the bay the three steamers anchored,
but much anxiety was felt for their safety. The wind was then
blowing so fiercely that at time the wind clock registered 105 miles an
hour. The seas were so heavy that over 100 feet of breakwater was
washed away, and there were ten degrees of frost. It was now just
after midday, and the coxswain and crew stood by in case their help
should be wanted. They stood by for over twelve hours. Then
shortly after midnight a siren was heard sounding S.O.S., distress
signals were seen, and the lifeboat put out at once. A heavy sea
was running, the night was very dark; there was blinding snow; the
lifeboatmen could not see more than a boat's length.
The coxswain steered to where he assumed the steamer to be. He
could see nothing, but as the lifeboat drew nearer the steamer switched
on a searchlight, and with its help found her. She was lying on
the rocks on the west side of the bay. The seas were breaking right over
her and her crew were sheltering on the after deck. The lifeboat
got under the steamers quarter, and threw a rope to her, but so heavy
were the seas that it broke four times. It was not until ropes were
thrown to the lifeboat from the ship, and four had been made fast
forward and one on aft, that the lifeboat was able to keep alongside the
steamer, her engines working all the time to relieve the terrible
strain on the ropes. The steamers crew put a pilots ladder over the
side. Down this they scrambled, one by one and, watching their
chances, dropping from it into the lifeboat as the sea swung her closes
to the steamers side. In this way the whole crew was rescued all
terribly exhausted with exposure and the cold.
It was just after three o'clock on the Saturday morning when the
lifeboat returned to harbour. Her crew had been on duty just over
nineteen hours. They were now able to get to bed, but during the
whole of Saturday the coxswain, second coxswain and motor mechanic kept
watch. They remained on watch until three o'clock on the Sunday morning.
The coxswain then went to bed, but, some five hours later, he was again
down at the harbour. Shortly afterwards another of the three
steamers, dragging her anchor, went ashore close to the one already
wrecked. It was then 10 o'clock on the Sunday morning. The
steamer made no signal of distress, the Coastguard Lifesaving Rocket
Apparatus went around the bay to help. In the afternoon the third
steamer was also driven on to the rocks, and at seven o'clock her siren
was heard calling for help. The Lifesaving Rocket Apparatus went to help
her also, and the lifeboatmen continued to stand by. They stood by that
Sunday for eighteen hours, making a occasional rush home for food and
dry clothes. Then at midnight a message came from the district
officer of coastguards to say that his men were in a state of collapse -
they could do nothing more. Would the lifeboat go out?
The coxswain went round the shore to get the exact position. He
could just see the loom of the vessel in the darkness and the snow.
A naval signalman was keeping in touch with her, and the master
signalled that his ship was breaking up and that unless help came at
once they would all be dead. The answer was sent to them that the
lifeboat was under way. At 2a.m. on the Monday morning she left
harbour, the defence searchlight being turned on to guide her. The
wind had eased a little, but it was still blowing a gale, with heavy
snow. The steamer was almost submerged, with the heavy seas breaking
right over her, and her crew were huddled together on her midship boat
deck. She was lying head on to seas, so that there was no lee
where the lifeboat might get some shelter as she came alongside.
She had to approach exposed to the full run of the seas, with the risk
that she drew near, they would carry her right on to the steamer, but
her coxswain got her alongside the boat deck and threw a line aboard.
There the rise and fall of the seas, said the coxswain was "terrific,"
and as each sea swung her towards the wreck it was "a nightmare" to try
and keep the boat from being flung against it. He succeeded in
doing it for fifty minutes while the steamers crew watched their
opportunity as the lifeboat swung into them, and then, in ones and twos
or threes jumped aboard her. It was 3.15 on the Monday morning
when the lifeboat entered harbour. The crew went home at once to
put on dry clothes, but as soon as they changed they returned.
There was still the steamer which had driven ashore on Sunday morning.
The Lifesaving Rocket Apparatus had not been able to get any of her men
ashore, but her master has been advised to stay on board with his crew
until the weather had moderated, for they did not seem to be in any
immediate danger. After the lifeboatmen had been standing by for
four hours a message came asking them to go out and take off this crew
to save them from further exposure. All the fires had been out
since Sunday.
At 8.30 in the morning the lifeboat put out a fourth time. She found the
steamer lying broadside on the seas, which were dashing right over her.
The only way to approach her was to get round to her leeside, between
her and the rocks. The coxswain took the lifeboat round the
steamers bow and struck a ridge of rocks. At the same moment a
huge sea coming in lifted her almost out of the water, dashed her on the
rocks and, as she struck nearly washing several of her crew out of her.
The coxswain went full speed astern, and another sea swung her around
the steamers bow. Without further mishap she came alongside the
steamer. There she was in deeper water and sheltered from wind and
sea. She made fast and took off the steamers crew, except the
master and three officers who remained on board. At ten o'clock on
the Monday morning the lifeboat returned from this fourth service.
Her crew had been on duty continuously for twenty seven hours. In
those twenty seven hours they had been able to change their wet clothes
three times, but they had had very little food and no rest. In the
course of the three days and nights they had been nearly ten hours at
sea; had stood by in the bitter cold for fifty-five hours, and had had
less than twelve hours rest. |
